Perusing the Pope's Personal Collections

We did so much on Thursday, November 22nd that I've had to split this post in two - because between all the pictures I took while touring Vatican City and then following that up with Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum...well suffice it to say there were maybe too many pictures. So I'll share about Vatican City today and then come back on Saturday to share about the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill - enjoy y'all! 

Thursday morning we had a skip the lines tour of Vatican City - and we had to be there before 7:30 - yikes y'all! The early mornings while we were in Rome were a real thing, but then again...I guess you can't sleep in when adventure comes calling, right? Our tour guide was named Fabi and she was just that: fabulous and delight. We met up with the rest of our group of about twelve people and hopped in the line waiting for the Vatican Museum to open - it actually opens at 8:00 I guess - but when it did, we skipped the line and went right in! Nice!

The old entrance to the Museum of the Vatican.

The heraldry of the Pope.

The original staircase entrance - it's actually two staircases wound around each other..

One staircase took guests up while the other took guests down...

The first portion of our tour was through locations throughout the Museum of the Vatican - since our tour guide was knowledgeable, she led us through certain areas at certain times and we were able to see rooms like the Map Gallery, the Hall of Statues and more almost completely empty. Apparently that's almost unheard of. Of course, as with my other posts - I took quite a few pictures and I'll just let the captions tell a bit more about them.

Caskets made of a rare crimson marble...

Believed to hold the remains of the wife & daughter of Emperor Constantine.

Egyptian style artwork - created in Rome; it was a style of the period.

A closer look at one of the statues.

The Museum of the Vatican has an Egyptian collection that I would have loved to sneak a peek at - but out tour didn't cover that portion of the museum. I guess that's a reason to go back, right? Something tells me that with all the rooms we saw, there was still plenty that we didn't get around to - that place is huge!

The bust is believed to be that of Julius Caesar. 

Believed to be Cleopatra - the ancient Romans hated her; called her "the Egyptian bitch"...

Each of the lengthy hallways was filled with frescoes...statues...artwork of all kinds and gifts given to the Popes throughout the years. I have never in all my life seen so many statues, frescoes and all around elaborate pieces of...stuff. It boggles the mind a little bit to see one person bestowed all these things - but then, I'm not Catholic and so the whole office of Pope and the fanfare and pageantry that goes along with it is still something of a puzzlement to me.

The Hall of Statues...

One of the many frescoes on the ceiling...

This is a fertility goddess - she's draped in bull testicles. Not a look I'd go for...

Statues going on for days...

The emblem/heraldry of the Pope is at the top of this intricate floor work...

Do you see the eyes on these statues? Yikes! No thank you!

This is Dionysus - note the grapes around her head...

Frescoes..frescoes...as far as the eye can see..

The floor tiles here are made of Lapis Lazuli - very rare.

A closer look at the heraldry of the Pope...

 I wish I had something clever to say in the midst of all this - but honestly, it was just room after room of elaborate artwork and gifts. It was...something else... I will say that I remain impressed at how well versed our guide was in the ebb and flow of each of the areas of the museum - it allowed us the chance to see many of the rooms with very few other people. She told us that during the summer, it's often so crowded that it's difficult to move - and that just sounds like a nightmare to me.

The ceilings are flat - an example of trompe l'oiel at work. 

One of the many tapestries in the Tapestry Hall.

Tapestries going on forever...

Lining both sides of the hall...

The ceilings of the Map Gallery - which contained detailed maps of each 

Family photo in the Map Gallery!

We were literally the only people in the Map Gallery - which is apparently absolutely unheard of - and our wonderful guide took the time to take each group of people's photos in the center of the gallery...and then she asked for a picture of herself, because she claimed that she'd never seen it so empty. November is considered the off season in Italy - so points for that in so far as crowds go!

Smile y'all!

Look at those ceilings! *gasp*

A map of Italy as whole - near the end of the hall. 

After touring the Statue Hall, the Hall of Tapestries, and the Map Gallery, it was time for the all important visit to the Sistine Chapel - once the personal chapel of the Pope himself, it's now open for visitors and is where the Conclave of Cardinals meet to elect a new Pope. You're not supposed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel but listen...if you lay your phone on your lap at just the right angle and turn the camera around, you can get a couple snaps. I know - I know...that's probably a special sin or something but nonetheless - I did it.

The roof of the Sistine Chapel - God creating Adam is right of center...

The back wall of the Sistine Chapel - Jesus divided people between Heaven & Hell. 

The ceiling/vault of the Sistine Chapel.

The side panels of the Sistine Chapel - Moses parting the Red Sea is on the far left...

The vault/ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. 

Sistine Chapel selfie!

The Sistine Chapel was; of course, painted by Michelangelo and contrary to popular belief/lore, whatever it is that you would call it - he did not paint the ceilings lying on his back on the scaffolding. The Vatican has a letter that he wrote describing to a friend the way he stood to paint the ceiling for days on end... something tells me that he had a serious backache when all is said and done.

Entering the personal gifts collection of the Vatican Museum...

Religious emblems gifted to the Pope...

More of those delightful frescoes on the ceiling...

City symbols - made from gold sandwiched between thin pieces of glass.

A very elaborate globe...

I was just always in awe of the walls...ceilings...etc...

An elaborate chest...

A mural showing the installation of the obelisk in the courtyard of the Vatican.

Pieces of the moon - gifted to the Pope from Richard Nixon.

A statue of the shepherd and his sheep...

A gorgeous piece of art depicting the Virgin Mary & baby Jesus. 

We emerged from the Museum of the Vatican about two hours after we'd entered - the sun was casting a beautiful light across the back portion of the courtyard of Saint Peter's Basilica and we were able to view the courtyard from a balcony overlooking the grounds. The cool air also felt wonderful to me - the warmth of the museum had begun to make me feel a bit lightheaded...whoosh!

Saint Peter's Basilica in the morning sunshine. 

Saint Peter's selfie! 

A statue in the courtyard of the viewing area.

A pine cone - a symbol of enlightenment.

A gift from an artist of the United States.

After touring the courtyard, we went back into the Museum (the place is gigantic y'all...enormous) to view the Raphael Rooms; obviously painted by... Raphael! We also saw the apartments inhabited by the Borgias while they were in power and the Royal Staircase that the Conclave of Cardinals take when electing a new Pope. Once we returned inside, it became apparent how well our guide knew the Vatican Museum because it was now so crowded that rooms we'd walked through, completely alone besides the 12 or so people in our group, were now so crowded that we had to form a single file line to snake our way through... sheesh!

Painted walls...and ceilings... in the Raphael Rooms...

So much detail...

Gorgeous frescoes on the ceiling...

The entrance to the secret archives is through the door at the bottom left...

A picture depicting philosophers...done by Raphael... 

Gorgeous painting - done by Raphael, of course!

A final ceiling fresco layout - done by Raphael. 

The ceilings of the apartments that were lived in by the Borgias...

I took a lot of ceiling pictures - I am just now realizing. 

The fireplace of the apartment of the Borgia Family.

The Royal Staircase...leading to the Sistine Chapel. 

I honestly was just so mind-boggled by all the "stuff" that we saw - and certainly, it was all gorgeous and expensive and flashy - but I guess it just seemed a bit...excessive? Now a place I would love to see at Vatican City? The Secret Archives! Our tour guide told us she had been lucky enough to take a brief tour of the Secret Archives and had seen the original letter that Henry the 8th wrote to the Pope requesting a divorce from Katherine of Aragon..so he could marry Anne Boleyn, of course! Forget gilded pictures and flights of fancy - that's the stuff I want to see!

The Christmas tree was being installed out in the courtyard.

The balcony where the Pope makes all of his addresses...

Another version of the Pope's Coat of Arms/Heraldry...

One of the doors leading into Saint Peter's Basilica!

The door is considered a historical document because it shows Peter being crucified upside down...

Once we'd toured all the hallways filled with frescoes, artwork, gifts, maps, relics and religious emblems and made our way back through the Sistine Chapel (no sneaky pictures this time - it was so crowded that you could barely move...) - we made our way outside and I happily gulped fresh air again! Our guide had to get a certificate or something along those lines to allow her to talk while we were in Saint Peter's Basilica and once she had that in hand, we went through the doors and into the largest church in the world.

You'd never in a million years be able to capture all the grandeur...

Marking how Saint Paul's in London "measures up" - it's a bit smaller than Saint Peter's

La Pieta - carved by Michelangelo

Remarkable - huh?

Pieta is now housed behind a sheet of glass because a deranged person came into the church and used a hammer and chisel to knock of a portion of the sculpture. They were able to fix the statue with almost no sign that it had ever been damaged - but you sir are the reason we cannot have nice things!

Looking upward into the dome...

Little winged cherub everywhere...

Every view is pretty dramatic!

The archway marking the center of the church. 

This canopy is marking the spot where Saint Peter is buried.

A grate in the floor looking down into the lower levels of the church. 

Just breathtaking!

The main altar of the church - you could not go closer...

Elaborate carvings on the altar...

The dome and the roof of the canopy!

Statues & frescoes & gilded everything - as far as the eye can see!

Looking back toward the entryway - and all the people.

The Pope's Coat of Arms - everywhere!

Special sunlight filtering through the church.

All those angels & cherubs!

Cherub cheeks selfie!

All the decorations - too many to ever capture on film!

Emblem on the floor as you exit...

Carvings on the ceiling outside the entrance to Saint Peter's

After we finished viewing the Basilica, our tour guide parted ways with us and we were allowed to look around at our leisure. My younger sister decided to pay the additional ten Euro and make the climb to the top of the Dome, so we sat on some marble benches in the shade while she made the climb. She was nice enough to share some of her pictures with me and I've shared them below - the views were pretty spectacular.

One of the Swiss Guards - the Pope's personal body guards. 

The Swiss Guard on duty.

Saint Peter's Basilica!

The Papal Apartments are located in the building on the far left - top floor.

The tree being placed in the center of the courtyard!

Saint Peter's Basilica & Courtyard

And as promised - the bird's eye view pictures that my younger sister took from the top of Saint Peter's Basilica. They're pretty spectacular, aren't they?

Knowing that it was already after 12:00 and we needed to grab lunch before making our way back toward the Colosseum to get in the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, we ended up getting a quick meal at an Italian fast food joint and catching a cab across the city. I'll leave you here today and pop back in with all my pictures from the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, which was probably my second favorite spot on the entire trip!